Arabic version: الولايات المتحدة تضرب جزيرة قشم مع استمرار الدبلوماسية مع إيران

According to Al Jazeera, US forces struck Iran’s Qeshm Island late on Monday in what US officials described as defensive action, while Qatari-led mediation efforts continued between Washington and Tehran.

Several explosions were heard on the island, IRNA reported, with witnesses saying they saw two planes overhead. The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed official, said the strikes appeared limited and did not signal a return to a major operation. The Associated Press quoted an unnamed US official saying the action targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets.

The reported attack followed IRNA’s statement that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps had destroyed a US MQ-9 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz. Qeshm Island, off Iran’s southern coast, was previously hit on March 7, when a US strike on a desalination plant cut freshwater supplies to 30 surrounding villages, according to the report.

Diplomatic contacts remained fragile. An official briefed on the talks told Reuters that Iran’s delegation left Doha on Sunday, although a draft proposal was still circulating. Qatari mediators travelled to Tehran on Monday night to discuss a draft US-Iran deal with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had given the government certain authorities over talks with the US, local media reported. US Vice President JD Vance said he was hopeful about a negotiated settlement, while President Donald Trump said Iran wanted a settlement “as soon as possible.”